82 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
Dr. Eugene Duges, and there may be other scattering notes 
on Mexican Scolytidse. He suggested that the Scolytidae 
collected at Brownsville, Texas, last summer by Mr. Barber 
be worked up and incorporated by Dr. Hopkins in his paper, 
since they were in reality Mexican Scolytid species. 
Mr. Barber, under the heading of Short Notes and Exhi- 
bition of Specimens, showed several original photographs of 
the work of the tube-forming termite (Termes tubiformans) 
at Brownsville, Texas, and described the termites' work. 
This species, by covering large areas of grass and herbage with 
its clay or earthen galleries, destroys and kills much of the 
pasturage and is thus of considerable economic importance. 
Each blade, stem or twig is completely incrusted and portions 
of the ground where these termites are abundant thus presents 
a very singular appearance. 
Mr. Brues stated that T. tubiformans is common at Austin, 
Texas, and that it feeds there upon cow manure. Mr. Fair- 
child asked Mr. Schwarz whether any truly fungus-cultivating 
termites were known in this country. Mr. Schwarz replied 
that he did not know of the habit of fungus-cultivating in 
any of our species. 
Mr. Banks showed a small piece of limestone rock in 
which were many minute holes, each of which was occupied 
by a mite of the family Oribatidae, genus Scuto vertex. This 
was one of many spray-covered stones taken from the banks 
of a stream of water near Ithaca, N. Y. The mite appears 
to have no special peculiarities, but is a new species and 
closely related to one found on boulders between tide-marks 
on the northern Atlantic coast. Inasmuch as each mite, be 
it large or small, fits its hole, it seems evident that the holes 
are caused by the mites themselves; yet he could offer no 
explanation or supposition as to how this is done. 
Mr. Marlatt then introduced to the Society Mr. K. Nawa, 
of Gifu, Japan, and expressed for the latter his pleasure at 
being able to visit Washington and attend a meeting of the 
Entomological Society. 
